CVE-2021-37627

Workarounds

Disable the form generator or disable the login for untrusted back end users.

References

https://contao.org/en/security-advisories/privilege-escalation-with-the-form-generator

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, open an issue in contao/contao.

It is possible for untrusted users to gain administrator rights with the form generator.

Installations are only affected if there are untrusted back end users with access to the form generator.

The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.

CVE-2021-37627 has a CVSS score of 8.0 (High). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Update to Contao 4.4.56, 4.9.18 or 4.11.7.

1. What is CVE-2021-37627? CVE-2021-37627 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in contao/core-bundle (composer), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.4.56. It is fixed in 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-37627? CVE-2021-37627 has a CVSS score of 8.0 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-37627?
   • contao/core-bundle (composer) (versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.4.56)
   • contao/contao (composer) (versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.4.56)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-37627? Yes. CVE-2021-37627 is fixed in 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-37627 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-37627 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2021-37627 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2021-37627?
   • Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.4.56 or later
   • Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.9.18 or later
   • Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.11.7 or later
   • Upgrade contao/contao to 4.4.56 or later
   • Upgrade contao/contao to 4.9.18 or later
   • Upgrade contao/contao to 4.11.7 or later